Food. Family. Fun

Particularly Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Ideally, there wouldn’t be any drips around the pies. The custard will burn on the pan. Bu that ladle is huge and his hands are little and he’s 6!

My family asks for Pumpkin Pie all year ’round. I don’t get it, but I roll with it because I have this ridiculously easy recipe. It’s so easy, the kids make their own pies, and there’s only a few things to wash!

The magic is the flaky, buttery crust. I don’t know where this recipe came from because it was once written on a card that is long since gone and I sort of have it baked into my memory. In any case, it is very versatile. I highly recommend that you make your own crust! It is SO worth the effort compared to store bought. Honest!

#2 scrapes the dough from the countertop using the edge of a chef knife. Smarter folks may just use a pastry scraper….

I think the kids like the crust, without thinking much about it, but they love the sweet pie filling and the whip cream. When my kids convince me to buy the can of “whipped cream”, we always open the can and squirt as much as possible into the entire family’s mouth. Then we try to say something funny.

Yes, we are gross. But anyway, we are laughing….

Wrap the disc tightly and chill.

The Crust

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour (I use King Arthur’s AP Flour)

1 TB sugar

1 ts salt

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, very cold

8 TB ice water

Cut the butter into cubes less than 1 inch, return to fridge to chill.

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with the blade. Process briefly to combine.

Spread the butter cubes around the processor, on top of the flour. Process in 1 second intervals– about 12-14 times usually does it– until coarse crumbs form. The crumbs will of course range in size, but should be smaller than pebbles or about the size of peas. If you get large pieces of butter, it will melt under heat and ruin the crust. Alternatively, if you process too much, things could go another way, so use the pulse function and check the texture of the dough.

Add 6TB of the cold water, pulsing until the dough starts to come together. Add more water, a TB at a time, until the dough just comes together. By come together I mean it is combined, but not sticky. It will be a little crumbly still and you will see bits of butter throughout the crust. You may not need all the water.

Turn the dough out, using your hands to quickly form it into a disc. Cut the disc in half, reform into two separate disks, wrap and refrigerate at least an hour, but preferably overnight.

The pie will be puffed when it comes out of the oven because of the eggs. It will de-poof as it cools. You can see that these little tarts aren’t perfect. Who cares? A 6 year old made it. He was completely engrossed in his efforts. He was proud of the outcome. He was quiet. Bonus! Bonus! and Super Bonus!

The Pie Filling

1 can pumpkin puree- not pumpkin pie mix

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix

1 can sweetened, condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

You cannot ruin this step. Your kids cannot ruin this step. Mix that Sh!t and let them have fun!

The Pie

Preheat oven to 425.

Roll put the pie crust evenly until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Seriously, for me this is the hardest part of the entire recipe. For our purposes here, try to get as much consistency as possible, but don’t sweat it too much if not.

Using a dough cutter (ie a donut or biscuit cutter), cut out several discs.

Spray a muffin tin with non stick spray. Set the discs into the tin, then gently push down and shape into a pie shell with your hands.

In this case, the kids were making the pies and they don’t care about perfection. If you need beautiful pies, you need to focus on consistency in rolling the dough and use a spatula to cut excess dough from the tops. Chill one hour minimum.

Fill your little crusts with the pie filling.

Set the tin into the oven. Reduce heat to 350. Bake until the custards have just set. Test this with a toothpick, which should come out clean. Try to not overcook. These little guys don’t take as long as a larger pie.

Let cool. You may need to loosen the pies from the pan with a knife.

Voila! a little pumpkin pie particularly perfect for an after school snack or small dessert.

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Meet Diana

I live on the East Coast, but I am a West Coast girl at heart! My family is full of crazy, wild women who live life to the fullest, and I am proud to follow in their footsteps. Did I mention I love to travel? We never sit for too long and are eager to share with you all we know about our adventures. We are always on the hunt for cool, hip artisans and entrepreneurs who like to share their fresh, local ideas and products. Join me to forage for a more flavorful life! Read More…

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